What is your wrapping theme for this year?

[crochetmonkey74]

One of my favourite bits of Christmas is working out my wrapping theme -last year I did brown paper, red and white twine and holly leaves. One year I did Navy with white snowflakes and glittery ribbon with a white pom pom tucked in.

What's your theme or ideas for this year?

What ever is left over from last Xmas ….

trying to move to fabric bags tbh and keep and reuse

Usually I get inspiration when peering into a box of wrapping paper.

Past years, starry night, woodland scene, tartan type patterns, snowflakes.

I usually prefer the warmer shades and tend towards modern designs. Don't add ribbons or anything non-recyclable or get foil papers.

So not sure yet, I like the surprise of going "ooo that's pretty"

normally I have stuff left over but I do not have anything left this year so I am very happy to have to buy from scratch. One year, I did all repurposed from Amazon packing paper, stuff I saved so it was all free, but I haven't got any this year

Theme is use up last year's and get the stuff that can be recycled

Ours is re-usable bags, they are a bit of a jumble of colours as we save any we are given but them all being bags and standing upright makes them look sort of themed. For stocking gifts I use stripey paper sweet bags from Amazon.

None. Apart from being reuseable. Same as last 15 years.

Wrapping paper from the 1990s I found in my Mum's attic when clearing it out to sell the house!

I'll be continuing with my usual theme of throwing paper at gifts and swearing under my breath that I hate wrapping the sellotape has just nicked my nail varnish and next year I'll do it early (I won't)

This would be my dream, I was stalking some vintage wrapping on etsy but it was too expensive!

I have about 30 drawstring fabric bags of various sizes which I use for family for Christmas, birthdays and other gifts throughout the year.

About four or five different fabrics that all go nicely together and work for any occasion. They have name tags that clip on so I can switch them about depending on the size of the contents.

They look nice, are SO quick and easy to use and I feel less bad about using so much paper. They have years and years of life in them.

Have you bought them from one place or accumulated them gradually? Our paper ones do eventually fall apart and I'd like to switch to fabric for longer life, I imagine they look nicer too.

[sigh] I wish I was organised enough to have a theme. Generally I'm wrapping by the seat of my pants!

I think that this is a thread to make us more casual mothers feel bad! There is no theme at our house and nor has there ever been. But Christmas is still fun.

Yes, definitely reusable!

If you were trying to explain to an alien that we grow trees, cut them down, heavily process the pulp, add dyes and finishes, ship them round the world to wrap something up, then unwrap it in seconds and either landfill (if non-recyclable), or transport the waste, heavily process it again, ship it round the world, etc…. - they would think we were absolutely bonkers!!

It’s fun making reusable bags, especially with the children, and they can be handed down to their children. It makes Christmas a little less consumerist too!

Gosh I don't have time for this.
Whatever I come across stashed away in the cupboard from years ago!
Sometimes do birthday paper if it doesn't have birthday theme 🤣

it really isn't
The Christmas thread is a joyful place for me - I love the poncetastic thread. I enjoy Christmas and love my giftwrapping night. It's one of the best bits for me.

I like the idea of the fabric bags- I don't think it would work for all my gifts but definitely for some maybe.
I've done stockings for friends before and they are similar as I didn't wrap the individual gifts inside.

Haven't picked it yet but I do like having a colour scheme, if not a theme always, and have done since my teens in the 90s.

I just use whatever is squashed & crumpled in the garage so the theme is mismatch!

Don't have time to buy wrapping? where did all the squashed crumpled stuff come from? 😂

This.

Ooooh good question! I normally purchase mine in the John Lewis sale in January, but forgot last year 😂

Really tempted to do a gingerbread house theme with bright colour wrapping to match details on gift bags. Either that or foresty colours!

I'm still using my stash - used to pick up all cards/wrapping/accessories in January sales for peanuts, then stopped buying because I had loads and have been using it up for 4 or 5 years now.

When it's done I'm planning to switch to fabrics/scarves/fabric gift bags and reuse every year.

As to this year's theme...I can't really remember what I've got! I'll have a look and I'll get back to you!

I'm like you - I love being creative with wrapping and get real enjoyment out of making it just right to fit my theme or overall mood every year. That's what makes me happy. It doesn't take a lot of money or effort, just gentle, cosy planning.

Why do so many women do this thing of reading negative connotations/smugness/deliberate guilting into really quite joyful, happy things? If you're on the casual side, then that's what suits you and what makes you happy; what I like to do takes nothing away from that! Comparison is the thief of joy.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

I buy a few rolls of whatever looks the nicest in Card Factory that goes with gold ribbon that I always seem to have tons of.

I did brown paper one year and hated it. The tape would not stick and it just looked shite.

One year I did different greens and arranged the presents into a pile per person to look like a Christmas tree.

I haven't even thought about this year yet.

I've got a stash of paper I bought in the Cox and Cox sale a couple of years ago - seven rolls of 10m each, it lasts a while. So I will continue to use that which means it will be mostly navy under my tree.

I've done brown paper before with ribbons and ornamentation, which is very rustic-pretty and entirely recyclable. And cheap, mostly!